April 2, 2014 — Recreational fishing leaders from around the country gathered this week in Alexandria, Va., for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Regional Saltwater Fishing Summit.
I attended the two-day summit along with Capt. Frank Blount, from the Frances Fleet, and Capt. Rick Bellavance, from Priority Too Charters, in Point Judith. The summit, the first to be held since 2010, focused on ways to improve the science, service and stewardship of America’s saltwater recreational resources.
The agenda included developing an action plan to help the country shape fishing law. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, which governs commercial and recreational fishing, will be come before Congress later this year for reauthorization. The hope is that the summit will guide legislation and serve as an action plan for NOAA in the coming years.
Bellavance gave a presentation on fishing data collection and the efforts of Rhode Island Fish for the Future, in which eight charter captains recorded and collected their catch data in real time on computer tablets.
“I guess you might say I’m a data geek,” Bellavance said. “I believe good reliable data is necessary for effective management.”
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